Lessons from R.H. White’s CEO on Strengthening Sales and Leadership in Commercial Construction
For construction companies, business development doesn’t look like traditional sales. You’re not pushing a product—you’re selling expertise. Your value is in your intellectual property, your ability to solve complex problems, and the relationships you build with clients who trust you to deliver. But here’s the challenge:
Most construction companies approach sales the wrong way.
- They give away solutions for free, hoping to “prove” their value.
- They jump into problem-solving before fully understanding the client’s true needs.
- They rely on a handful of key rainmakers rather than empowering the whole team to spot opportunities.
- They lack a structured sales process, treating business development as a reactive function rather than a strategic one.
Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone.
R.H. White Construction Company, a 102-year-old construction company based in Massachusetts, faced these same struggles. Under the leadership of CEO Jim McCarthy, they transformed how they sell, communicate, and lead by partnering with Next Level.
“Many times, we weren’t doing the best thing for the company. We were giving away intellectual property to please the customer, but it wasn’t necessarily in the best interest of either party. Next Level helped us understand that we needed to prioritize creating value for both the customer and ourselves.” Jim told us.
In this blog, we’ll explore the lessons learned, the biggest mistakes construction companies make in sales, and how you can apply these insights to improve your own sales strategy without sacrificing your technical integrity.
How Construction Companies Lose Deals Without Realizing It
One of the biggest challenges commercial construction firms face is what Sandler calls the “free consulting” trap.
It starts with good intentions:
- A potential client reaches out with a challenge.
- Your team, eager to help, jumps into solution mode—offering ideas, insights, and even preliminary designs.
- The client takes that information… and then disappears.
What happened? You gave away your expertise for free. Jim McCarthy saw this happening at R.H. White before they partnered with Next Level.
“We were so used to giving answers and being expected to provide solutions that we weren’t asking the right questions,” Jim recalls. “We’d jump to conclusions without fully diagnosing the root issue.”
They were overdelivering before any commitment was made. They weren’t just losing deals—they were training prospects to shop their expertise around.
The No-Free-Consulting Mindset
R.H. White implemented a disciplined, strategic approach to protecting its intellectual property and positioning its expertise as a valuable asset. Instead of immediately providing solutions, their team learned to:
- Ask deeper questions before offering insights.
- Set clear expectations (Sandler’s “Up-Front Contract”) to ensure mutual commitment.
- Hold firm to their value rather than try to win business by overserving.
The result was fewer wasted proposals, stronger client relationships, and better profitability.
Turning Technical Experts into Sales Assets
Another major challenge for construction companies is that sales are often siloed. You have a technical team full of brilliant project managers who interact with clients daily, but they don’t think of themselves as “salespeople.” Meanwhile, your business development team is tasked with bringing in work but often lacks the technical depth and direct relationship to diagnose and engage clients fully.
Jim saw an opportunity: What if everyone—across departments—could contribute to the sales effort?
“Our employees are already listening for opportunities—but are they asking the right follow-up questions? How do we get them to take the next step? That’s where Next Level has helped us push sales skills deeper into the organization.”
Unlocking the “Hidden Sales Force”
R.H. White realized that business development isn’t just about closing deals—it’s about having meaningful conversations that create opportunities.
“We have over 500 employees. They’re already talking to customers every day. How do we get them to listen differently? How do we get them to ask just one or two more questions that could uncover a need?”
Next Level helped R.H. White equip its frontline staff with basic sales awareness skills without forcing them into uncomfortable “selling” roles, resulting in:
- More organic opportunities from existing client relationships.
- A broader business development pipeline without hiring more salespeople.
- Increased client trust and engagement from deeper, more strategic conversations.
Sales Success Is About Process, Not Personality
Many construction companies still rely on a few “rainmakers,” senior leaders or business development professionals who seem to have a natural ability to bring in work. This approach isn’t scalable.
Jim knew they needed to build a repeatable sales process that didn’t depend on a handful of individuals. Sales efforts were decentralized and inconsistent. They had no structured way to track and measure:
- What was working?
- Where were deals stalling?
- How could they improve efficiency?
“Before Next Level, our sales process was inconsistent. Some people were using different approaches, and we weren’t measuring what was working and what wasn’t. Now, we have a common language, a structured process, and a way to hold ourselves accountable.” Jim says.
By working with Next Level, R.H. White:
- Implemented the Sandler Selling System—a structured, repeatable approach to sales.
- Built consistency across the organization—so sales weren’t dependent on just a few individuals.
- Established a culture of debriefing and learning—turning every sales conversation into a chance to improve.
Jim’s key insight:
“We used to do postmortems on construction projects, but we weren’t debriefing our sales efforts. Once we started analyzing what was happening in our sales conversations, we got dramatically better.”
What Results Can Construction Companies Expect?
R.H. White’s transformation didn’t happen overnight. But through their partnership with Next Level, they’ve seen measurable improvements in how they approach business development:
- Higher conversion rates mean fewer wasted proposals and more deals closed.
- Stronger client relationships are based on mutual trust, not free advice.
- More internal engagement with employees at all levels contributes to business growth.
- A leadership team that communicates better by asking questions instead of jumping to conclusions.
And the best part? These aren’t just sales improvements—they’re leadership improvements.
“The impact of Next Level goes beyond sales. The principles we’ve learned apply to leadership, employee engagement, and internal communication. It’s not just about winning business—it’s about becoming a better, stronger company overall.”
“It’s about how we communicate,” Jim added. “The skills we’ve learned apply to customers, employees, and leadership. It’s made us stronger in every way.”
Is Your Firm Ready for a Sales Transformation?
If you see your firm in R.H. White’s story, you’re not alone. Commerical construction companies face unique sales challenges, but there are solutions. You don’t have to stay stuck.
Taking your organization to the next level isn't about selling—it’s about value-driven conversations. If you’re ready to take control of your business development efforts, contact Next Level today, and let's talk.
